Shakedown
(Book)

The only way out is to die...Few know the warship’s actual name. Fewer still know what it really is. And almost no one knows of its unique ability, an ability that could tilt the balance of power if not outright win the war. But everyone has heard the rumors. Rumors about the worst place the Planetary Union Fleet can send you. Rumors of a ship with an eighty percent crew mortality rate. In these hushed, fearful whispers, the ship does have a name. People call it “the Crypt,” because those aboard are as good as dead. The PUV James Keeling can do something no other vessel in existence can do—slip into another dimension, travel undetected, then re-emerge onto our plane and surprise enemy targets. But the thing that makes the Crypt unique also makes it a nightmare for those onboard; interdimensional travel causes hallucinations, violent behavior, and psychotic breakdowns. Keeling could be the Union’s greatest weapon, a game-changing asset that can defeat the bloodthirsty zealots of the Purist Nation, the Union’s mortal enemy. If, that is, the brass can find the right crew. But with those dark rumors traveling at lightspeed throughout Fleet, sailors with connections, with favors to call in, or those with careers on the rise pull any string they can to avoid being assigned to the Crypt. The brightest and best shield themselves from this top-secret craft, yet the brass must send it out on critical missions. As the war drags on and casualties pile up, Fleet crews the ship by assigning the worst of the worst. If you are convicted of assault, fraud, cowardice, theft, rape, murder—or you cross the wrong Admiral—you may find yourself aboard the Crypt. Most are given a choice: serve a two-year stint on the Keeling and have your record expunged, or be executed for your crimes. Welcome to the PUV James Keeling, where the only way out… is to die.